Asbury Park Women's March has different plan this year

An estimated 6,000 people attended the local Women's March in Asbury Park on Saturday.
Erik Larsen

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Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
(Photo: Doug Hood)Buy Photo

ASBURY PARK - A year ago they marched. Now they're trying something different.

To commemorate the women's rallies held nationwide and around the globe after President Donald Trump's Jan. 20, 2017, inaugural, Ocean Grove resident Dani Fiori and other organizers of the Women's March in Asbury Park are reconvening on Sunday to talk about how to move forward.

The afternoon will start at the Asbury Hotel with a gallery display of signs used in the march and photographs taken that day. The gallery is open from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. They'll also discuss next steps, namely how they can advance the messages and goals laid out a year ago..

"People are coming together like I’ve never seen before and reaching out to each other," said Fiori, 42. "Women especially are becoming more and more empowered."

"I think it’s a new era," she added.

Last year's marches and protests were fueled by Trump comments and conduct panned as misogynistic. The protests also focused on human rights, abortion rights, women's health and economic issues. The video above explains more.

Fiori, who owns a cookie shop in Asbury Park, said the Women's March in Asbury Park sprouted after the Washington, D.C. event started to gain traction. Fiori texted a few of her friends: "We should do something."

She thought a few hundred people would show up for a local solidarity march in Asbury Park. But more than 6,000 crammed the boardwalk.

This year, it would be hard to recreate the unique enthusiasm that led to thousands marching on the boardwalk, Fiori said.

"We had a lot of people requesting another march, we really felt we couldn’t live up to that moment in time again ... but we knew it was a great time to get everyone back together," Fiori said.

Many of the organizers and participants in the 2017 march are helping with a convention planned for Asbury Park next month, being spearheaded by Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, Councilwoman Yvonne Clayton and local activist and comedian Jess Alaimo.

Alaimo said she was inspired by the Women's March last year to get involved in civic activism.

She said the national conversation around the women's marches helped spark support for the #MeToo movement, which has shed light on sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood, the media and the corporate world.

The Asbury Park Women's Convention planned for the Paramount Theatre in Convention Hall on Feb. 24 will be a stage for women to discuss some of the national issues, organize activism and also receive entertainment, Alaimo said.

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Dani Fiori of Ocean Grove rallies the crowd prior to the walk to Convention Hall. Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood

Thousands take to the streets in Asbury Park in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. They are protesting President Donald Trump.
Asbury Park, NJ
Saturday, January 21, 2017.
@dhoodhood
Doug Hood